Gadgets blamed for distracted driving

Russ Martin of triple A, is assisted by Joel Cooper, left, hooking the electroencephalographic (EEG)-configured skull cap to the research vehicle during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
— AP

Russ Martin of triple A, is assisted by Joel Cooper, left, hooking the electroencephalographic (EEG)-configured skull cap to the research vehicle during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
/ AP

She said some people argue that listening to the radio or talking with a passenger is just as distracting as voice-activated dashboard technology. But, Hill countered, listening to a radio is a passive activity — something that drivers can tune in or out. Talking on the phone requires active participation and greater concentration, she said.

In addition, she said physical proximity makes a motorist’s conversation with a passenger less straining than a phone call.

Hill said the study by AAA, considered an authority on transportation issues, should be taken seriously by lawmakers and automakers.

“The more we learn about this, the more we’re going to have to push back on the manufacturers who want to try to introduce these kind of gadgets in the car,” she said.

Operating a hand-held phone while driving is illegal in California and several other states. While a growing number of studies show that hands-free devices also lead to distracted driving, such systems remain legal across the country.

There are some efforts in Sacramento to change that allowance.

California Assembly Bill 313, which would ban voice-texting while driving, has been stuck in that chamber’s Appropriations Committee.

Meanwhile, state Senate Bill 194, which has passed the Senate and awaits a decision by an Assembly committee, would prohibit a person younger than 18 from using an electronic wireless communications gadget even if it is equipped with a hands-free device.